


Understandable Secrets

by DeniedLove



Series: Geralt and Jaskier’s Cute Adventures [5]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: A crossover of my own fan fictions based in the same series, M/M, Toddlers, afraid of the dark, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeniedLove/pseuds/DeniedLove
Summary: Geralt, Jaskeir, and Jakub travel closer to Kaer Morhen than the Witcher and bard are comfortable with, far too close to the Winter season. They need that contract to buy land and build a small home. Hopefully it works out.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Geralt and Jaskier’s Cute Adventures [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616710
Comments: 1
Kudos: 45





	Understandable Secrets

Against both Jaskier’s wishes and Geralt’s intelligence they had to travel closer to Kaer Morhen than they would like, closer to winter than they were more comfortable with. Geralt was not sure what to expect but he knew that the idea of taking his Pumpkin to a place that had been the death of many boys his age went against the very nature of his being. Yes, it was home, it always would be, but the memories of the horrors that took place there kept him from wanting his innocent darling to get closer to its crumbling walls than necessary. 

It was night and they had set up camp. Geralt was attempting to show Jakub how to skin a rabbit but the five year old was sickened by the blood and muscle under the fur. Jaskier is just happy his Witcher didn’t break the animals necks in front of the boy. That was a fight they have had in the past. The trained fighter could not fully understand that the boy was just a tad too young to understand death and it’s relationship to eating meals. Trying to explain this to the Witcher was harder than it should have been which only solidified Jaskier’s opinion of Kaer Morhen. 

The family was on the road to a well paying hunt of a Chimera which should fatten their purse well for their needs however, night was coming up fast in the shorter days and Jakub, bless the little boy, was afraid of traveling in the dark. So his fathers did what any good parent would do, they set up and early camp a few hours away from the closest village and made sure a fire was the first item on the list. With the light and his parents close the boy would eat and sleep properly. 

A battle with a grumpy child afraid of the dark was not a war the Witcher wished to take on at this moment. He’d rather be a few hours away in the morning than drag a crying child in the dark. 

That is the current scene. Geralt prepping dinner, Jaskier prepping the camp sight, and Jakub’s cries of “Papa that is gross!” when a wraith comes crashing through their campsite. 

———

Jakub is wailing in fear from the bush that Geralt had tossed him into and out of the clamping jaws of the undead creature. Jaskier darts for Roach and the pack of potions at her side. The monster and Witcher wrestle on the ground, his iron knife useless against his enemy. With the right potions in hand the bard waits for an opening before tossing them in his lovers direction. This is not ideal, Geralts armor is with the rest of their gear and not keeping his body safe, but they have been in tighter binds. Thankfully Jaskier had a good idea of what his love would need. 

Geralt downed the potions enhancing his abilities and pulls out his silver sword. Jakub, now in his daddy’s arms, is sobbing, and Jaskier has put his Witcher between them and the monster. 

The wraith circles around the camp while the family keeps equal distance away from its claws and teeth. In the heat of the tension, blackened eyes taking in every detail, Geralt longes forward. There is a moment of growls, the ring of battle, and guttural cries of pain, before the head of the monster is removed from its body, it’s form disappears into the darkness. 

Jaskier tries to hush his sweetling and wipe away tears. “Everything is over love. Papa killed the monster. You are safe again.” The boy hiccups in his arms. 

“Geralt?” The bards voice is strained with worry and anxiety. 

“I need to find the grave. Release the soul or it will come back.” Comes a gruff answer. 

Jakub’s tears are drying but his hiccups and sobs are still present. “I.... wnt... hic... Papa!” He wails out reaching for the Witcher in question. 

“Sweet heart. Your Papa has to finish with the monster love.” This made Jakub’s tears come back. 

“Pumpkin,” Geralt hushes the boy with his voice. Back still turned to the man and child. “I drank a potion. It’s a Witcher’s potion and changes some things. I don’t want to scare you.” Geralt turns slowly so that the edge of his black eyes can be seen by the fire light. 

Jakub was as silent as a grave moving around the fire from his daddy’s arms to see the blackened eyes his papa now carried. “Jakub, darling, give your Papa some breathing space.” Jaskier tries to grab for the boy before he sees too much but it’s too late. Tiny cornflower blues connect with abyssal black. The color drains from the boys features before he whispers.

“Daddy, daddy don’t be afraid. The nasty monster got papa and I think he’ll be all right. It turned his eyes black.” Than the boy gasped loudly. “Daddy is papa going to die?” and his wailing starts up again. 

Jaskier rushes back to his side and sweeps him up hushing him as best as he can. “No, no sweetling the black eyes are from your papas potion he’s not going to die from that.”

Geralt told himself he’d not fall into the trap of calling Jaskeir ‘daddy’ and Jasier calling him ‘papa’. It’s fine if the boy does it but by the gods he’ll not have the grown men use the names. He lost that battle months ago. What is really concerned at this moment is how Jakub is pointing at him crying, this breaks his heart. 

“But daddy papa’s bleeding!” 

And like that Geralt’s heart is restored. He takes a quick inventory of himself and sure as rain the wraith got a lucky hit in before he got his hands on his silver sword. The potion removes the threshold of his pain tolerance so he was not aware of the blood. Sure he could smell it but it was so distant to the adrenaline running through him. 

Jaskier is laughing. Yep, parenting moment win, he’s laughing and Jakub is crying tears of confusion now. If his job doesn’t kill him his lover and the child will, Geralt is sure of it. 

“DADDY!” Jakub yells way louder than his parents thought possible. 

“Oh gods.” Jaskier wipes his tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry darling but I do find this quite funny. No your papa is not going to die and his black eyes are not from the monster but his potions. Remember dearest it is your papas job to hunt and kill monsters. This one just found him.”

He hugs the child closer and plants a kiss on his forehead. “I know this is scary but I need you to be a big boy and sit on your bed roll while your daddy helps fix up your papas wound.”

Holding his blanket closely Jakub settles into his bedroll snuffling snot and tears away. Jaskier grabs the water and bandages. Instructing Geralt to sit on a log not too far away from the boy he turns to their little darling and starts to explain Witcher healing as best as he can. For all of the not so great parenting moments this is probably a stroke of genius on the bards part. Showing the boy that his papa is more durable than he thinks helps calm the tears. At some point he even gets up from his blanket and bedroll to come a little bit closer to see Geralts skin coming together already. 

By the time Jaskier is done patching his love up the little boy is sitting on Geralts lap away from the wound. The Witcher finds a little finger poking his black veins a bit harder than he’d like. 

“Does this hurt?” The small finger pokes again. 

“Jakub stop poking your papa! It’s rude to poke at people like that.” The bard says as he pokes Geralts side checking his handy work on the wound. Earning a blackened glare from the glorious mutant. 

“Are you done?” Geralt growls at his bard. “I need to find the body or the creature will come back.”

“Yep! All done!” Jaskier sings as he plucks Jakub from Geralts lap. “Let me help you with your armor.” Geralt ‘hmmm’ is not a happy one but Jaskier plows over his disagreement and lifts up the armor holding it so the Witcher can slip himself in. “Don’t you give me that ‘hmm’. Your eyes are black and you won’t feel your wound if you agitate it right now so you will comply.” Jaskier is buckling Geralt into his leather. Each tug feels like a small prayer for safety from his bard. 

Before he moves into the woods to hunt down the wraiths trail he first pulls the other man into himself. Dark eyes seek blue and for a moment there is silence between the two men. Before Jaskeir can think to break it he is being dragged into a deep kiss. Thick arms wrap around him pulling the bard flush against his lover. 

“Ewwww!” Jakub’s cry of repulse pulls the men apart with a laugh. 

Geralt pulls out a silver dagger and hands it to his heart. “Keep this close. I don’t suspect you’ll need to use it.” It will make the Witcher pleased knowing there is a proper weapon at the camp. He doesn’t truly believe Jaskeir will need to use it but now that knot in his gut can rest a little lighter. 

The Witcher disappears into the dark woods but not far away enough to hear a quite “Be carful papa.”

———

Geralt finds a small shack in a clearing. The front door hangs on a hinge and creeks in the night as he pushes it aside. The main room has been tossed with furniture broken and spread across the dirt floor. The stench is what he followed to this decrepit building, death and decay.

Moving from the entrance he follows the door to the right into a small but once comfortable bedroom. Here he sees her, bloated with gas and rot she has only been dead a month or so. From what he sees of her torn clothing and blood spatter she was swiftly cut down with a blade. 

Going around the back of the house he finds a well kept garden and a shovel. Picking a nice spot under a dog wood on the far side of the clearing he starts to dig. 

It may have been a bandit, thief, or unsuspecting traveler that found this home and ransacked it. That’s what the evidence seemed to suggest as Geralt inspects the house. He catalogs the smells he can find in the house before moving through the woods back to camp. 

———

Jakub runs up and latches himself around his papas legs when he comes back from his adventure, eyes golden again. 

“He was worried the monster would attack you in the woods.” Jasiker whispers out of the child’s hearing range. 

“Hmm.” Geralt kneels down to the child’s level and pats his head. “It was an eventful night.”

“Sure was!” The boys chimes up. 

“You handled it well Pumpkin. I’m proud of you.” Jakub goes in for a hug. Wrapping his arms around his papas neck. 

“Your black is all gone.” He snuggles into Geralts neck hiding in his hair. “When do I learn to have black eyes?”

This question makes the large man freeze and the bard laugh loudly into the night air. Jakub pulls back with a deep frown. “What did I say?” He’s confused. 

“Nothing Pumpkin. That’s a conversation for when your older.” The innocence of the child in his arms is both astounding and miraculous seeing as the boy has already been through so much at his young age. Paring that with the sinking stone in his stomach and his own childhood memories of Kaer Morhen, Geralt tries to not think of Jakub going through a similar situation. 

Once the boy is settled in for the night the parents pair up in their own bedroll and try to get some of their own shut eye before dawn. 

———

Jaskeir is ridding Roach with a very sleepy and grumpy toddler. Due to the late night activities the boy had slept but not long enough and was likely to need a nap later today. Instead of making the boy walk he is aloud to snuggle up against his daddy and the lull of Roaches steps put him back to sleep. 

The decent sized village seems to be waking of from its sleep as the locals are just starting to move about from their slumber. Moving from the gates and guard house the small family slowly find their way hopefully to their morning meal. The ting of a black smith echoes across the morning air and the smell of fresh rolls drift around the turns of the road. 

They find the local bar and inn, tying Roach up in the stables, with a sleepy boy in arm, the couple enter the quite pub looking for room and board. The young man is kind enough and trades some work from Jaskier for meals but they will have to pay for a room. Understandable as the small establishment looks to be almost run down.

“Brave,” the bar maid says holding a tray on her hip, “traveling with such a young one.” She’s batting her eyes at Jaskier. “All alone. Where is his mother?”

“Dead.” Geralt grounds out happy the little boy is sound asleep in his daddy’s arms. 

“Oh my.” The maid makes her mouth ‘o’ way bigger than she needs to. 

“Lena, leave them alone.” The man shoos the busty woman away from his guests. “So sorry about her. My sister is always sticking her nose where it shouldn’t be.” He glares at her treating back. “I suspect you understand.” He levels his glare at the bard. A clear warning to back off and leave his sister alone. 

Geralt huffs in his own way of laughter at Jaskier’s uncomfortable expression and pink cheeks. 

“Let’s get some breakfast.” The bard mumbles. 

They order their meal which Geralt uses as an excuse to ask about the woman in the woods a few hours away. 

“Ah, yes, Zofia.” He fills up some tankers for the men and a small cup of juice for the boy. “She has always been a wild sort. Learned some healing ways and other odd things. Rumor has it she dipped a little too much of herself into strange magics. A chaotic woman to say the least.”

“Does anyone wish to see her harmed?” Jaskier pipes up from their table. Snoring child still in hand. 

The man shakes his head. “Not that I know of, why, what has happened?”

The travelers share a look and grimly Jaskier continues. He’s always been better at this kind of bad news that Geralt. “We found her you see, harmed in her own home.”

“Gods!” The young man exclaimed. 

“I buried her under a dogwood however, it seems a wraith was created with her death.” Geralt continues. 

“That is not good. Poor woman. Odd as she was she was kind and good of heart.” Hanging his head the bar keep continues. “Is this wraith, or what you call it, has it been disposed of?”

Geralt evens out his eyes with the young man. “We fought last night and I have taken care of the body however, if we do not learn of what happened to her the wraith will keep coming back.”

“It could terrorize the woods and your village if your not careful.” Jaskier continues for his love. Having him around has made questioning locals a smother process. Knowing a regular human can exist around a Witcher helps people lose some of their prejudice towards the man made mutants. “Is there anyone in town we can question. Anyone who may have known her or visited her often?”

“Hanna, the smiths wife. Those two grew up together and were inseparable. Even today they get along so well. This will break the poor woman’s heart.” Lena shows up with their food and tries way too hard to wink at Jaskeir but receives another glare form her brother instead. 

“Fuck you Filip.” She whispers which Geralt can clearly hear as she walks away. 

“Look. We don’t have much in coin here in this small place but if you can figure out what happened to Zofia I’ll happily give you two one room for the nights you’ll be here. It’s the least and the most I can do.” Filip continues plainly ignoring his desperate sister. 

“Deal.” Jaskier says way to happily. “All right darling, time for breakfast.” He positions Jakub on his lap to face the meal. 

“N dn whatta.” The groggy child mumbles. 

With a nod Filip leaves them to their meal and uncooperative charge. 

———

A few hours latter, one tamper tantrum, and a growling order from Geralt to “shut up and eat”, the family finishes their meal, dump their items into the rented room, and are walking out to the smiths shop to talk to Hanna. 

The ting of the mallet against steel is all they need to follow to find the forge. A large man, almost a head taller than the Witcher, was hefting metal into the hot coals, letting it redden up to be molded. 

“How may I help you?” His voice boomed. He was an average age. Not quite old yet but had a few decades under his belt. 

“My good man.” Jaskier waves his hand around as he holds onto Jakub’s other hand tightly. “We were traveling in the woods and came across a sad scene. We were told the woman in question was a friend of your wife’s.”

“Do you mean Zofia?” The large mountain of a man looks displeased at the sound of the woman’s name on his own lips. “What of her?”

“I’m sad to say she has passed from this world.” Jaskier tries to sound as remorseful as he can, it’s not like the lady deserved to have her throat cut, that he knows of. 

A wooden bucket falls to the ground spreading water along the dirt floor. A fine, small woman, with wild red hair is covering her mouth. Tears weld up in her eyes and a sob chokes from her throat as she falls to the floor. The smith looks shocked himself but not as distraught. Geralt notes that, he listens to their heart beets and sniffs the air, tasting it, matching the scents to those in the forgotten home in the woods. 

“How?” The man asks shifting his eyes to the woman on the floor. 

“Seems to be a knife to the throat. Maybe a bandit.” Geralt explains watching his reaction. 

The woman sobs harder, curing into herself. With a nod the man slowly lowers himself to her and pulls her up to her feet. He holds her closely. “I’m so sorry Hanna, love.” He says softly. As she sobs into his arms. 

“Did Zofia have any enemies?” Geralt asks. 

“Not that I am aware of.” The smith answers but the Witcher doesn’t quite believe him. 

“Hmm.” He says and Jaskier gives him a puzzled look. “So there was no reason why Hanna was at the cottage maybe a month ago?” As he says this the woman stiffens in her husband arms. 

“Jan?” she whispers as she looks up into his eyes. She starts to back away from him but his arms remain hard around her. He is rubbing her back before he turns to Geralt. 

“She was there recently as they are friends.” The man says evenly. 

“Hmm. It smelled like they were very friendly.” Geralt squares his shoulders at the smith watching his reaction. 

“So, Witcher’s have quite the nose on them do they?” Jan huffs himself. “Yes, my wife Hanna and Zofia were, close.” The man is hesitant. 

“Close enough it may bother a husband.” Geralt says cautiously. 

“Jan never would....” Hanna trails off but looks uncertain in her husbands direction. 

“Hanna, love, I was never happy with your relationship with Zofia but I would never harm you that way.” The man meant it and Geralt knew that, his heart rate was steady and his voice strong. This man loves his wife regardless of her fling with another lover, a woman of strange origins. It does seem that ‘fling’ maybe putting it lightly. It seems like the woman were deeply in love themselves. 

“Who could have done this?” She whispers to no one particularly bit the thick air around them. 

“I have an idea.” Jan admits. “Forgive me, it seems this may be more my fault than I originally believed. We were taking the other night, about a month back. Me and Kacper, your brother. He realized you were with her....” trailing off at Hanna’s gasp. 

“No.” The word is but a breath. 

“I was upset, drunk, and ranting. I thought he was letting the ale talk. I never thought he’d actually harm her.”

“Can we know for sure?” Jasper asks pulling Jakub away from the heat of the forge. Damn child was going to get himself killed with that curiosity of his. 

“Daddy look! It’s so red!” The boy is entranced by the metal heating up. 

“Can your mutant nose smell anything else? Like my brother in law?” Jan’s inquiry is reasonable. Geralt does know of one smell that was in the home that he has not come across yet. 

“Led me to him.” He says with a shrug. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”

“Hanna, stay here, the children will need you anyways.” Jan wipes away his wife’s tears and directs her into the home. She’s shaken and is in no sense to refuse. 

He starts to lead the companions out of the forge when he hears, “Papa carry me!” from the little boy. He turns to watch the bard pick him up but is surprised to see the Witcher in fact bend down and lift the child. “I’m bored.” The little boy wines. 

“Shush darling. We’re trying to help some people. Later we can play.” The bard fussed over the child as he sits comfortably in the Witcher’s arms. 

“Lead the way.” Geralt’s voice is all business but the smith can’t help his smile as he sees the scene in front of him. 

“Absolutely.” He responds leading the way to Kacper’s farm, a ten minuet walk out of the villages center square. In this quick walk he realizes that ‘Papa’ is the Witcher and ‘Daddy’ is the bard. The boy talks to both of them as if they are his parents. 

Jakub is definitely in a mood today and tries to throw a fit when Geralt passes him off to Jasiker. He pulls the boys face in close to his. 

“Listen, I’m doing my job right now and I need you to be good. Do you understand?” He says in his ‘I’m not having your shit’ voice. It makes Jans spine tingle with the amount of intimidation the mutant put into his words but the little boy just nods and pouts in the other mans arms. “Yes sir.” He responds quietly. “Good boy.” The Witcher responds as if this is not a new occurrence. 

This reminds Jan of his own little spit fire. Ann their youngest is always getting herself into trouble and the smith realizes, the men and child are a family. He sees the Witcher squeeze the bards shoulder before approaching Jan. He thinks maybe the two are like Hanna and Zofia, but lucky enough to live their lives. He loves his wife and has always been jealous of her relationship with the other woman. He’s never approved of it. However, seeing Hannas grief he regrets his past words and attitude. It may have resulted in an untimely death of an innocent woman. 

He and the Witcher approach the farm, Kacper is out tending to the field. With a wave they meet half way amongst the cabbage. 

“What brings you around brother?” Kacper seems to be welcoming but looks cautiously at the outsider in his armor and yellow eyes. “What’s this here? A Witcher? Why do you bring his kind around?” The farmer scowls at the unwanted guest who is glaring him down. 

Jan pulls his brother in law over a bit away from Geralt. “Do you remember our drinking night a month or so ago?” He asks lowly. 

“Of corse friend.” Kacper grasps his shoulder giving it a squeeze. “It felt great finally bonding with you so well. What does that have to do with that?” He gestures to the mutant a few feet away. 

“The Witcher found a body in the woods Kacper.” Jan watches the other mans eyes. 

“What a shame.” The farmer says with fake concern. “Wolves and other dangerous beast roams these forest. A woman is bound to be harmed.”

“I didn’t say it was a woman.” Jan says “Nor a beast attack.”

Kacper winks at him and says “Ah bandits than maybe?” As if he’s trying to be coy, as if Jan is in on a secret with him but he’s not, and none of this is right. 

Bowing his head he turns to the Witcher. “What do you smell?” The mutant nods his head in agreement and doesn’t need to say a word. Jan pulls out rope and turns to the farmer. “I’m gong to have to bind you now and take you before the village council for the murder of Zofia.”

Kacper is taken back in shock. “Like fuck your going to. I just did what you wanted brother. This was your wish.”

“No it was not.” Jan shakes his head. “I’m not happy about her and Hanna but I never wished the woman dead.”

The farmer tries to put up a fight but the smith is quite strong, impressively so. With Geralts help, Kacper is bound and being escorted back to town. 

With the farmer handed off to a few of the other towns folk Jaskeir turns to Jan. “What will you do now?” 

“We will have our own trial. He’s likely to be forced out of town and branded a murder. I will take Hanna to the cottage. So she can say her good byes.” Jan turns to Geralt. “I have no money to spare but if you need anything repaired bring them over. It is the least I can do for your services Master Witcher.”

Gerlat nods his head in acknowledgment before they part ways. 

“A secrete lover killed by a phobic sibling. A love story that doesn’t need to write itself.” Jaskier starts to hum to himself. 

“You think people would be ok with a two woman love story?” Geralt asks puzzled. He really didn’t think that would be a popular song. But the bard shrugs. “I can work with it.” He says instead and then he’s off to the bar to put Jakub down for a much needed nap. 

As Geralt pushes open the door his eyes meet up with another set of golden slits as the bar tender says, “We already have a Witcher here we don’t need another.”

“Papa! Look! He has the same eyes as you!” Jakub is twisting in Jaskier’s grasp pointing directly at Lambert’s face. 

“Papa?” Lambert questions, looking amused.

“Fuck.”

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the long wait on a new story.
> 
> Yes I am doing a cross over of sorts between my own fan fictions so please forgive me for that, it just sounded like fun in my head.
> 
> Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Remember to love each other and stay safe out there.


End file.
